Cardinals' QB quandary: Kevin Kolb or Peyton Manning?

Peyton Manning said he will always be an Indianapolis Colt, but No.18 would look awfully good as an Arizona Cardinal for at least the next few years.

It comes down to this: Do you want Kevin Kolb or Peyton Manning? The obvious answer is Manning.

No disrespect to Kevin Kolb, who is owed a $7 million bonus if he is still on the roster as of March 17, but the Cardinals would be crazy not to aggressively pursue Manning and convince the greatest quarterback of our generation to play in Arizona.

Clearing some salary cap room might be a bit of a problem, but it can and should be done posthaste, because the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins, along with a handful of other teams, aren't going to waste any time going after him, either.

Now that is an unrestricted free agent, it's time for the Bidwill family to make the bold move and sign Manning as quickly as possible. The Cardinals will immediately be hailed as Super Bowl contenders. They will be in the national spotlight continuously with Manning on board. The sellout streak to University of Phoenix Stadium will never be in doubt.

The Cardinals need to do whatever it takes to make it happen. They need to be out in front of the other suitors and make it known that Arizona is his best, possible landing spot. The Cardinals are competitive, they play in a retractable domed stadium, they have arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald, and they play in a winnable division in the NFC West.

It may not be fair to Kolb, but that's life. Even if Manning is only 80 percent healthy following four neck surgeries in the past two years, I trust he will be ready for the start of next season. Remember, he was the Ironman among NFL quarterbacks, never missing a single game for 13 seasons until missing all of last year.

That's proof enough to me.

Now the Cardinals will have to shore up their offensive line and bring in another wide receiver to help compliment Fitzgerald, something they refused to do last season. But if they sign Manning, consider the former a done deal.

But first things first: The Cardinals must make the big splash and bring Manning to Arizona. They need to dive in, don't look back, and make the play. And they need to do it now.

When: Friday, April 27 @ 4 p.m. (second and third rounds). ...Saturday, April 28 @ 9 a.m. (fourth through seventh rounds).Format: Teams get 10 minutes between picks in the first round, seven minutes between picks in the second round and five minutes between picks in rounds three through seven.TV: ESPN and NFL Network | Radio: KTAR 620 AM.

Important dates in the NFL's off-season

May 11-13: Mini-camp for rookies. May 22-24: Voluntary organized team activities (veterans and rookies). May 29-31: Voluntary organized team activities (veterans and rookies). June 4-7: Voluntary organized team activities (veterans and rookies). June 12-14: Mini-camp for veterans and rookies. Late July: Training camps open. Sun., Aug. 5: Hall of Fame Game, Cardinals vs. Saints, 5 p.m.Fri., Aug. 10: Cardinals at Chiefs, 5 p.m.Fri., Aug. 17: Cardinals vs. Raiders, 7 p.m.Thur., Aug. 23: Cardinals at Titans, 5 p.m.Thur., Aug. 30: Cardinals vs. Broncos, 8 p.m.**Note on the start time vs. Denver: By rule, moving the game to Wednesday was not an option since the Broncos are already scheduled to play the previous Sunday. In addition, the late start time is to avoid conflicting with network TV coverage of the Republican National Convention's final night and the nominee's acceptance speech.